Quick-connect tube connectors or fluid couplings are used in assembly operations to interconnect fuel lines, install automotive air conditioner units, or the like where it is desirable to accomplish assembly of tubing lines to compressors and other components as quickly as possible. Such connectors consist of a male and female part wherein the parts may be quickly connected merely by inserting one coupling part into the other. A retention system usually includes a retainer which has resilient fingers and is mounted on one body part and the fingers enqaqe with a shoulder on the other part upon the parts beinq fully connected to maintain connection of the parts. Typical examples of these types of connectors are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,378 and the assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,637,640 and 4,647,082. Some connectors include release means for releasing the fingers from engagement with the shoulder permitting separation of the parts as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,082.
The aforedescribed types of tube connectors are relatively simple and quick to connect and because of the large market for these types of connectors manufacturing cost, overall size, simplicity of design and performance are important. Previously, a coupling has not incorporated all of these aforementioned features into one single construction.
It is an object of the invention to provide a quick-connect tube connector wherein the connector parts are interconnected by resilient fingers and wherein the resilient fingers are homogeneously formed with one of the parts.
Another object of the invention is to provide a quick-connect tube connector wherein the tube connector is of low manufacturing cost and durable under high stress loading conditions.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a quick-connect tube connector wherein the connector parts have a integrally formed retention system permitting the smallest overall size tube connector possible for a given capacity.
A further object of the invention is to provide a quick-connect tube connector that can be easily and quickly connected and wherein an integral retention system maintains connection of the parts.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a quick-connect tube connector wherein a finger release sleeve may be mounted upon the connector axially movable between finger locking and finger release positions.
In the practice of the invention the tubular male part has a nose at one end and an external annular shoulder axially spaced from the nose. The female part has an axial passage, an integral extension having an open end for receiving the male nose, an annular shoulder stop located within the axial passage and resilient fingers homogeneously formed adjacent the open end extending longitudinally toward the stop having free ends that are radially extending inwardly.
The parts are interconnected by axially forcing the male nose into the female open end wherein the shoulder engages the resilient fingers deflecting the fingers outwardly as the shoulder passes underneath the fingers and once the shoulder passes the fingers' free ends the resilient fingers drop over the shoulder preventing withdrawal of the male tube.
If it is desired to disconnect the parts a sleeve mounted on the male part is axially receivable within the female open end by axially forcing the sleeve towards the female part wherein the sleeve will engage and displace the fingers radially outwardly from engagement with the shoulder permitting removal of the male part. The release sleeve may be omitted to prevent tampering.
The resilient fingers are both torsion and cantilever supported adjacent the female open end and are radially spaced so that the imparted stresses to fingers are evenly dispersed allowing for high loading conditions. The homogeneously formed fingers eliminate the need for mounting a separate retention system in the connector permitting low cost manufacturing and providing a connector of the smallest overall size possible for a given capacity.